~I just know something will screw up when I change themes~

So I spent an hour or so preparing for the worst.

I opened a new file in my laptop and copied pretty much everything from my Dashboard into Notepads.

I spent a lot of time in “Widgets” copying the Media Library image links, plus the code in Text (especially Flag Counter). I did this because I’m worried that the Tapestry theme has two widget areas, Header Right & Primary Sidebar and any new theme might have something unexpected which might cause me problems.

I have hundreds of items in my Media Library and it would take forever to scroll down to find just one widget image. Text code would be impossible to replicate. So the copying could come in handy.

~Be brave Ralph !~

(The following process should be the same for all active premium & free themes).

In their blog, click on the three dots (…) in the “Follow” pop-up at the bottom of your screen. Click on “Get Theme”.

Click on “OPEN LIVE DEMO”

Click on ” Try & Customize”

Viola !

For me a problem. A single blue fish image (the Tapestry Header Right widget) in the right sidebar. The rest of the widgets have disappeared, not in the footers, nowhere ! A complete widget/sidebar rebuild needed.

You can do it, Ralph! 🙂 … a very good idea to make copies of everything! An very good idea in any case. I have every post I’ve written on an external drive (which is easy for me because I compose ’em all in a Word doc, then copy and past into my WordPress editor) ’cause one can never have too many backups.

Hello Widdershins 🙂
Thank you ! Hopefully I will have a new theme up and running for my next post *cross fingers*. Just need the courage to do it !
I agree with you about backups. You use Word. A great idea. I use the “Add New” editor directly and have had no problems with it. I back up my post files (mainly photographs) into two memory sticks. I use two, as one stick refused to load a couple of years ago and I lost a lot. Other than the apps I need, the only thing I keep on my laptop is a post that I am working on.
It’s great to know what you are doing.
Take care. Ralph 🙂

Hello Beth 🙂
That’s exactly the way I feel. If only WordPress would stop fiddling with the older themes we wouldn’t have a problem now, would we ? But I am going to be brave and change my old theme. This may be the last time you hear from me. lol
Sorry to make you dizzy my friend. Here is a big hug to straighten you out.
Ralph xox ❤

Good post, Ralph. I’m not very computer-savvy, and I do remember switching themes took a little bit of tweaking (because now I had a new footer widget section), but I don’t recall it being too tedious (my existing widgets didn’t all disappear…but they did not look right immediately and did require me to do some work).

Hello Phoebe 🙂
Thank you my friend. I must say that this post took ages to draft, but popping in and out of your blog a few times made it more enjoyable. For someone who is not very computer savvy I reckon that you have made a great job in customising your theme. Well done ! I may not activate your theme initially as I can see that I will have a lot of work to do on the sidebar.
I don’t know if you have seen this
.https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/premium-themes-in-the-premium-plan/
.
It seems that once we pay the US$100pa we are entitled to chop and change our themes whenever we want.
Thank you Phoebe. I think I may need your good luck.
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Just an update Phoebe 🙂
Yesterday evening I was customising your theme Natural, playing around really, got tired and like a Dodo (you have probably fixed many of them 😉 ) I wanted to save what I had done and pressed Save & Activate. Heck, I was up all night and I mean all night setting up my blog, well is much as I can do.
I want to change the white header border and get some colours into all the links, so I have opened a thread in the Forum for help.
.https://premium-themes.forums.wordpress.com/topic/header-white-border-link-colours?replies=1#post-107803
.
Then I will be able to tweak all the colours the way I want them.
So I am now a Natural like you 🙂 ❤

I’d stay with my old theme till the end…
Wordpress support is non-existent and many times insulting as they never answer your questions (in my case). It’s so hard to find someone who actually reads what you say and is skilled to provide a solution.
I tried many times in the past the “live demo” option and it was a complete mess! Menus, pages, widgets and most important, previous posts and photos were vanished or resized.
I wouldn’t risk it, but maybe you’ll be more lucky. After all fortune favors the brave!
Good luck! ❤

Hello dear Pelly 🙂
Whew, I know. You have been through the wringer with WordPress support. It was such a shame that they ruined your photographs by cropping them in Reader. They do have to mess us about, don’t they ? I wish they would test things out properly before going live with updates. So I don’t blame you for hanging on with your old theme. It may last for years. Who knows ?
Anyway, keep blogging my friend as you are an original !
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

I was really, really pleased changing to Baskerville for my Light Workers site, Ralph ~ https://lightworkersoftheworld.net/ ~ it has three widget positions down the very bottom plus a fabulous sidebar! I couldn’t be happier… and, I didn’t have any problems at all changing over. Yes, I needed to rearrange some widgets, but, heck; a change is as good as a holiday they say.. (Who are they?) 🙂
xoxoxo

Hello Carolyn 🙂
Your theme looks really great and was my second choice. I screwed up big time last night and accidentally activated the other theme. Everything was a total mess and I was up all night trying to get my blog somewhat presentable. I need a holiday ! lol
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Hello Carolyn 🙂
Thank you for your kind words and yes, I just didn’t believe what happened when I pressed that save button. Oh yes, I was pushed alright into a sleepless night 🙂
But what you say about needing a little push to make a change is sometimes really necessary. Well it was in my case 🙂
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

You are good Ralph, copying all…. If you change the theme, all the media should still be there though? I don’t think I will ever change it. Please do get a theme where the writing is in black on white, not the other way. I find it hard to read white writing on black background. ( Age, I know… 🙂 ) I am sure you will make it! With your cat’s help…. and you know from a user perspective, I like a blog where I can go back to the last post for example. Some blogs I can’t find how. I like it easy to navigate…. that is probably again because I am not that good on the computer or getting old…hehe

Hello Ute:)
Thank you so much for your input and I will try to do what you ask. Thank heavens I copied everything in my dashboard especially widgets. I screwed up last night and activated the Natural theme (the one that lost all my widgets) and I had to spend all night building the sidebar etc. I have almost got it the way I want it. Lots more to do.
Hah, your age ? You look and act like a young 30-year-old 🙂
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

I know how complicated and when I get one, I don’t want to change but sometimes it is needed. Good Luck dear Ralph, whatever you make, you know, we all love you, your posts, photographs and smiling face of your blog. Be happy and enjoy, Thank you, have a nice day and weekend, Love to you all, nia

Hello dear Nia 🙂
I really do believe that you are THE expert in changing themes. You always seem to be able to come up with a theme which enhances your photographs. Well done my friend.
Thank you so much for your sweet words which I really do appreciate.
Love and big hugs. Ralph xox ❤

Hello Shey 🙂
Heehee ! I should have a nervous breakdown after accidentally activating this new Natural theme last night. My blog looked like Hamstah Dickens had been chewing it to shreds. I was up all night with double sided sticky tape making my blog half presentable. I shall now go away and have that nervous breakdown 😉 lol
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Ralpha… I promise my darling man I will get used to the blue boxes I also promise that whatever these blog goblins (blog-gobs) do here I will follow you . That goes for to the end of the earth if need be x

Hello dear Adele 🙂
Sounds good to me. One teenie-weenie problem. I was trying out and practising customising Phoebe’s theme yesterday evening, got tired and saved what I had done. Wrong ! I activated the theme and stayed up all night making my blog presentable. I could have screamed (if I was a girl 😉 ). It is almost done now, thank heavens !
Thank you and do have a faboo (?) weekend yourself my friend.
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Hello Liz 🙂
Ooops ! I have just checked your theme and I am afraid that it is an old one and not on the WordPress theme list any more. Anyway, it may last out for a few more years. Keeping my fingers crossed for you my friend.
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it has always seemed a good approach to take with these beasties.

Otherwise, I would advise you to put together a testing site that you could run in parallel with your main site – maybe start by duplicating – lock-stock-and-barrel – this site there, and work over and up new themes on the new site. Once you have the new place where you want it you could then point your vanity domain name to it.

Whatever you do remember that if you break your site to an extent where you can only link to text documents and gif file locations that will in no way deter me from following your exploits (and I think it is safe to say I’m not alone in that sentiment.)

Hello Mike 🙂
Thank you so much for your sensible and wise words. I should have read your comment before playing with the tryout customiser in the Natural theme. I was about to shut my laptop down for the evening and thought I had better save what I had done in the customiser. Like an idiot I activated the theme and my blog was like a train wreck. I worked on it all night and it is somewhere near okay. Just some tweaking to do now.
Thank you, break a leg should be break a theme. lol
Take care. Ralph 🙂

Ohhmmmmm……… mene mene tekel upharson ….What? How did that get in there? That’s an ancient warning, not a meditation chant. Okay, let me try again, Ahem! OHhhmmmmm ….. my, I’ve got to get dinner on! But that’s cooking, not meditating. Obviously I do not mediate on WP.
Have a great weekend, Ralph! xoxo ❤ <#

Hello dear Resa 🙂
Ohhmyygodd … Your witch’s spell really worked ! Oooops, I must be a wizard as I have a black cat ! Yes, your spell worked, big time. Some unknown force made me activate a new theme while I was playing with the tryout customiser, must have been about the same time as your comment came in. My old theme disappeared and the new theme was a train wreck. I worked all night on it and it’s almost okay now.
Time for some OHhhmmmmm. Love the smell of your cooking, it’s just reached here in southern Spain. Thank you and have a lovely weekend yourself my friend.
Love and big hugs. Ralph xoxox ❤

Oh no, you are right, both your Art Gown and graffiti blogs are retired. What a pain ! I do hope that they last a few more years. Your Queen’s End is okay though.
You can check it yourself by clicking on the three dots in the small customise/edit/stats pop-up at the bottom of each blog screen. If there is no Get Theme then the theme is retired.
Big hug. Don’t panic. Ralph xxxxx ❤

Hello Jan 🙂
I totally agree ! You get settled and comfortable with one’s blog then WordPress decides to ruin one’s day. I have finally changed over to a new theme and pray that WordPress doesn’t touch it. lol
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Good luck with it all Ralph. I always look at your blog in the WP reader, so I have no idea if this is the new or old theme. Maybe you don’t need luck as you have already made the move. Is that what you were saying in the post? All the tech stuff got me bedazzled!

It is very strange that you should have added Pure Imagination to your post, as I have just come from watching TV where I was getting annoyed by the use advertisers are making of this gorgeous song to sell their tatty merchandise. I think Audi is the latest of at least three ads using Gene Wilder’s version.

Hello dear Kate 🙂
Thank you so much for your good luck. It worked ! I’ve finally changed over to a new theme and it is pretty much finished, thank heavens. I don’t want to go through that again, because, as you say, one gets bedazzled.
Wow, I didn’t know that the song was used in advertisements. As you say, it’s a gorgeous song and should not be treated so badly.
Love and big hug. Ralph xox ❤

Since you did a screenshot of my site as an example of a retired theme, I guess it’s retired. Thank you very much for the heads up. 🙂 I guess I have to investigate now … Good luck with all this stuff. 🙂

Hello Lynette 🙂
Yes, I am afraid your theme is now retired, but hopefully it may last for a few years more. If you do change your theme I hope it switches over easily. Thank you my friend and good luck to you as well.
Big hug. Ralph xox ❤

My dearest Ralph, Oh my goodness, no wonder you’re having anxiety about changing your theme, I’ve never seen anyone try to change one the way that you’re doing it! I changed dozens of themes on dozens of sites and never lost anything!
I suggest just shopping around the theme showcase and look for a theme that you like and that has the features that you want. Then after you have picked one you can do a preview, see what you think and either go ahead and install or not.
When on earth are you viewing themes via other people’s blogs. That will only confuse the issue since everyone sets up their blogs differently and in many cases incorrectly or not to their themes full potential!
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions that you think I might be able to help you with.
Lots of best wishes, my friends, ❤ Have a great day. 🙂

I know ! You have changed themes more times than I have had girlfriends. That’s one then. lol

Well you know me, I am never one to do things simply, but I did have a reason or two for looking at other bloggers’ blogs.

As I do write a lot of comments, I needed to pick a theme where the comments don’t shrivel up in replies to vertical single letters.
I wanted the sidebar to be separate from the main post area.
A small header picture area was a must. etc.

Those were the main reasons why I preferred looking at other blogs rather than the WordPress theme list at first.

Thank you so much my friend for your offer of help. After many hours I think my blog is pretty much there with the new theme, but there is always tweaking to be done.

Thank you Amanda. It’s finished ! Took forever, mainly because I have been playing with CSS colours.
BTW I owe you an email. I am way behind with my inbox, but I hope to get you some time this week my friend 🙂 ❤

Hello Debby 🙂
Thank you for your lovely comment. It’s quite a pick me up.
Well I have done it, transferred my blog on to a new theme and guess what ? I have been playing with CSS, just colours though. I think I would get brain damage if I went any deeper. Anyway, it’s finished ! Maybe I can sleep at night now 🙂
I do hope that you are having a lovely week my friend.
Hugs. Ralph xox ❤

Hello Valentina 🙂
Thank you so much for your wise and wonderful comment. In fact you are spot on, as I do like the final result. So, at the end of the day, I am really pleased that someone up there gave me the push that I needed.
I hope you are having a lovely week my friend.
Hugs. Ralph xox ❤

Ralph, I hope it is all settled out now. All appears well today in your blog, but what a time you went through. I had to come back to your post several times before I got to this point. Sometimes life happens (as you know too well), and I was also trying to find out if my theme is on the chopping block. I really appreciated your instructions on that. I couldn’t make it happen with my iPad, but I could on my laptop. Thankfully, I am retired, but my theme is not. I’m sorry you had to go through this mess. I think the younger generation refers to it as a “hot mess.” I need to get with the times.😉 Have a great week with sunny days ahead on the WP front! 😎
Linda

Thank you so much for commenting on my new theme. After many hours it’s finally finished except for the odd tweak here and there in the future. I had my old theme for four years, so was way out of practice, probably why it took so long to change themes. I’ve had a play with CSS. That’s why it’s is so colourful.

I have had a look at your blog theme and it’s fine, definitely not retired, so no worries there. I see you are posting a lot of book reviews lately. I have not read a book for a couple of years now due to my vibrating hands … the words get mixed up somewhat. Haha !

Thank you so much. Sunny days are here at last, 30°C today. And as for sunny days on my blog, I do hope so. I do hope that you are having a wonderful week my friend.

Oh my goodness!! I am the aunt who doesn’t remember how I did my first post and naively thought it was “easy!!” Ralph, this post had my stomach tied in knots!!
I have a bunch of tags on the side of my posts when I or someone should happen to see an old post about a favorite song or movie or the subject of faith. . . It will lead you to them But I have no idea how to lassso then under control or fix the time I didn’t put Any tags on my posts. . .
I am 61 years old and totally behind on technology, Ralph!!
On the sweet and positive side:
I like your blog anyway you produce it! Your kitties and your humor are very hilarious and make me happy.
🙂 🙂 😀 😀
If you see huge gaps in time remember I have a 45-50 hour week sometimes at a really strenuous warehouse job! Some lucky people are retired and have a very nice life. . . I miss you many times, though!!
Happy

Hello dear Robin 🙂
Thank you so much for visiting and filling my notifier with loads of likes and comments. Fantastic !
I just had a close look at your blog theme and luckily for you it is very simple, so you should be able to change theme without any problem. I shouldn’t worry about all those categories as they should hop across to a new theme without any problem.
I shouldn’t worry about your age (you are just a toy girl to me 😉 ) and technology as WordPress is not that complicated until something goes wrong, then it is an oh boy moment.
I don’t think I remember a day going by without receiving a new post email from you. At one time I thought that you and Beth were the same person as you both seem to publish at the same time. lol
What a pain it must be to be working those hours and having to do such a strenuous job as that. It’s such a shame to have to do these things just for money to live on. I hope something new and more calming comes into your life to make things so much easier for you my friend.
Sorry I have not been commenting on your blog as often as I would like, but I can just about handle my own blog. I must try better or you may slap my wrist. 😉
Love and big hugs. Ralph xox ❤

Hello Cheryl 🙂
Thank you so much. The new theme is almost the way I want it to be.
Your “Twenty Ten” theme is fine . No need to change it. Whew !
Happy Easter to both you and Becky my friend.
Hugs. Ralph xox ❤

Amazing Ralph – I love the new look site and glad it all worked out in the end. Thanks so much for the shout out too – much appreciated! I’m laughing though (sorry) as I did exactly the same not long ago with the ‘save and activate’ which was how I’d ended up with the Baskerville theme and yep – like you I was up all night trying to sort it out. As you know… all to no avail as I’ve now got a Pipdig theme for the new ‘self hosted’ blog, which I’m still tweaking and finding my way around! Well done though – I love it! x

Hello Wendy 🙂
Thank you so much. I am beginning to like this new theme and have changed so much by using CSS. It’s first time that I tried using CSS and I have only got as far as changing colours with it.
Heck ! Amazing that you messed up with saving the same as I did ! I’m sure that you had the same expletive oh no moment.
You are very brave in self hosting, but your site looks pretty good to me. Well done my friend !
Ralph xox ❤

Your site looks absolutely fabulous Ralph and yep there were definitely some pretty explosive expletives… the air was blue! I’m so glad you approve of the new site. I sometimes think I should get it more ‘professional’ looking and then I think… how boring it would be without my bits of ‘glitter’.. I’m not sure the ‘pro bloggers’ would approve though but ‘hey ho!’…. I appreciate your support Ralph – thank you!! xx

This is some very useful information, my furriends. We keep this in mind when our bloggie is retired…as I believe it already is…sigh… I guess I have start to meOOMmm now too, just in case 😉 Your blog looks very bright by the way. Purrfectly done! More Pawkisses for the weekend 🙂 ❤

Hello Binky 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words concerning my new theme. I do hope that your old theme lasts for many more years or until you decide to get a new one. Good luck for what ever you decide to do.
Have a lovely weekend. We are staying indoors as it is pouring down with rain. We don’t like to get wet !
Hugs for you and Granny. S&S and s ❤

Hello Sandra 🙂
I did have a chat with WordPress Staff in the forum and my old theme Tapestry could not be updated. Even so, I am quite pleased with this new Natural theme now that I have it amended to the way I want it, which is very similar to Tapestry, so I am happy.
I am pleased that you managed to find a new theme which you are happy with. I have noticed that a lot of new themes look very similar. I don’t know, probably necessary for smart phones !
I hope you are having a lovely week my friend. Ralph xox ❤

Sorry to read about the upset with the guy Sandra. I hope you have got over it now. That’s great you are getting out and about and I am looking forward to seeing your pictures.
Have a lovely weekend. Ralph x

Hiya Ralph, I won’t be meeting a heterosexual guy for a date in the future – for friendship, or in his mind otherwise. I will stick to my rule of only dating asexuals and remaining happily single from now on. I had a lucky escape I think. Other stuff not to do with that is great. At the show yesterday, ai got my parents a rose plant for their anniversary called Special Anniversary Rose and it actually had two open flowers that smelt strongly of being a rose. Some new breeds don’t. I gave it early to my dad yesterday because he was at the show.x

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